Intel Foundry Deployed High NA EUV for Chip Production

The manufacturer has utilized high-numerical aperture lithography to process one million wafers for new AI processors.

Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Semiconductors

Bold flat-color editorial illustration showing stacked circular silicon wafers as a central column, representing high-precision chip manufacturing processes. — Intel Foundry announced that it has successfully processed over one million silicon wafers using high-numerical aperture EUV lithography for AI processor production. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Intel Foundry has implemented High NA EUV lithography tools in high-volume production for its Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors. The company confirmed it has successfully processed more than one million wafers using the new manufacturing equipment.

Why it matters

Scaling semiconductor manufacturing to support increasingly complex AI products requires advanced lithography capabilities. This deployment signals a transition toward the mass adoption of High NA systems to overcome existing density limitations.

The High NA EUV system represents an upgrade from the industry-standard 0.33 numerical aperture tools, allowing for finer feature resolution. Intel currently utilizes these systems on 6-inch masks through stitching, with plans to scale to 6x12-inch formats.

The players

Intel Foundry

The manufacturing division of the processor giant, which operates a vertically integrated stack of fabrication plants and design tools.

ASML

A Netherlands-based equipment manufacturer that holds a monopoly on the advanced EUV lithography tools required for sub-7nm chip production.

The details

High NA EUV—high-numerical aperture extreme ultraviolet lithography—uses optics with a higher light-collecting angle to print smaller circuit patterns on silicon. Because the system's scan field is smaller than the industry-standard 6-inch mask, Intel employs stitching to combine multiple exposure steps into a single pattern. This process requires coordinated efforts across EDA (electronic design automation) software, mask manufacturing, and material suppliers to ensure precision.

2021: Intel initiated a large mask format project.
2024: Intel installed the first commercial EXE system.
September 2026: Intel and ASML reported production progress.

The Tech Race

Intel's use of High NA EUV for current-gen processors represents a leap ahead of competitors who remain reliant on standard-aperture EUV systems. The firm is now attempting to standardize larger 6x12-inch mask formats to ensure the technology scales economically for future nodes.

Consumers gain access to the production benefits of these tools through the performance of Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors. These chips are currently in production, indicating that hardware manufactured with these advanced techniques is entering the broader computing supply chain.

The takeaway

Intel has moved High NA lithography from a laboratory tool to a volume manufacturing asset, proving the viability of stitching for current mask sizes. Observers should monitor the industry's progress toward the 6x12-inch mask standard, which is critical for future density scaling.